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WHO reform: the proposals and the debate

WHO reform: the proposals and the debate

A collection of resources published by the Medicus Mundi international Network
for the Democratizing Global Health Coalition on the WHO Reform (DHG)

"The World Health Organization is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends."  About WHO www.who.int

"The world needs a global health guardian, a protector and defender of health, including the right to health." Margaret Chan, September 2011 www.euro.who.int

"The reform should be guided by public interest values and a clear vision of health for all, and its rationale must be based on a solid analysis of the challenges that WHO faces and their root causes. Such analysis has not been made available till now." (DGH core statement)


WHO reform: process and proposals

Reform process at the 65th World Health Assembly, 21–26 May 2012,
and the 131th session of the WHO Executive Board, 2829 May 2012

  • Doc A65/5
    WHO reform: Consolidated report by the Director-General
  • Doc A65/5Add. 1
    Draft Twelfth General Programme of Work and explanatory notes
  • Doc A65/40
    Report by the WHO secretariat: Results of meeting on programs and priority setting
  • Doc A65/INF.DOC./6
    WHO reform: High-level implementation and monitoring framework
  • Doc EB131/3
    WHO reform: Draft formal evaluation policy

  • Doc EB131/10
    WHO reform: Revised terms of reference for the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the Executive Board
  • WHO reform documentation
    Evaluation Report of Stage 1 of Reform Proposals of WHO

......................

> Official documentations: 65th WHA  and 131st session of WHO EB
> Main documents related to WHO reform: WHO website
> Older WHO reform documents

 

WHO reform debate: civil society positions

Reform process at the 65th WHA, 21-26 May 2012:
Civil society statements, comments, resources, events


Reform process following WHO EB130:
Civil society statements and comments

  • NGO consultation on priority setting: Joint comment by Peoples’ Health Movement (PHM), Third World Network (TWN), International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN-GIFA) and Medicus Mundi International Network (MMI)
    - Long version with summary of WHO documents and comment
    - Short version, comment only, easier to read 
  • NGO consultation on priority setting: Further NGO comments
    www.who.int

.....................

> Older civil society statements on the WHO reform

> Delhi Statement, 4 May 2011: WHO reform and democratizing global health"

 

Civil society networks and campaigns dealing with WHO reform

  • Democratising Global Health Coalition on the WHO Reform (DGH)
    "The Democratising Global Health Coalition on the WHO Reform (DGH) gathers a group of public interest NGOs and individuals committed to the realization of the right to health based on equity and universality, who highly value the constitutional mandate of the WHO for the realization of this right worldwide. We believe the stakes around the WHO are too high for the public health community NOT to be properly informed and come with a united voice, whenever possible, to safeguard the role for public policy and action that the WHO is mandated to serve. The DGH Coalition invites those public-interest organisations and citizens that share the same concerns on the WHO process, and vision for the future of WHO, to sign up to this statement and become members of the DGH coalition. United, we can make a much greater impact."

    > DGH core statement www.bit.ly/dgh-statement
    > DGH coordinator: Nicoletta Dentico
    > DGH side event at 65th WHA: www.bit.ly/65wha-whoreform-sideevent
    > DGH documents and statements are published on this page

  • People's Health Movement (PHM): WHO Watch
    WHO Watch is a resource for advocacy and mobilisation and an intervention in global health governance. WHO Watch provides a current account of global policy dynamics in relation to a wide and growing range of health issues. While the focus is on issues being considered through the WHO the background documentation provides a more broadly based account of these issues.

    > www.ghwatch.org/who-watch - a great resource, congratulations!
    > www.ghwatch.org/who-watch/topics/whoreform - topic page on WHO reform

 

WHO reform: more analysis and comments

  • Who is really helping WHO?
    Andreas Zumach, May 2012
    www.dw.de
  • Difficult task of setting priorities at the WHO
    Amanda Glassman, May 2012
    http://blogs.bmj.com
  • Urgent need for WHO's reform to prioritise core functions
    Mohga Kamal-Yanni and Philippa Saunders, May 2012
  • Global health governance and financing mechanisms
    Samantha Battams and Thiago Luchesi, May 2012
    www.globalhealtheurope.org
  • The European Union's voice and influence on global health and the reform of the World Health Organisation: the role of diplomacy
    Samantha Battams, Remco van de Pas, Louise van Schaik, May 2012
    www.globalhealtheurope.org
  • The WHO must reform for its own health
    Tikki Pang and Laurie Garrett, May 2012
    www.nature.com
  • The Reform of the WHO
    Petronellar Nyagura, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zimbabwe in Geneva, May 2012
    www.ghd-net.org
  • WHO reform and public interest safeguards: An historical perspective
    Judith Richter in: Social Medicine, April 2012 (also in Spanish)
    www.socialmedicine.info

  • WHO under siege from private sector
    Tom Fawthrop in: Third World Resurgence, January/February 2012
    www.twnside.org.sg/title2/resurgence
  • WHO Reform debate to continue, February fixed for member-driven priority setting
    K. M. Gopakumar & Sangeeta Shashikant, TWN Info, January 2012
    www.twnside.org.sg
  • The World Health Organisation, its reform and its relevance
    Remco van de Pas, Wemos, Get involved blog, January 2012
    http://getinvolvedinglobalhealth.blogspot.com
  • Overhaul needed on rules on WHO-NGO' relationship
    Sangeeta Shashikant, TNW SUNS, January 2012, quoted from Ip-health
    lists.keionline.org/pipermail/ip-health_lists.keionline.org
  • WHO Reform: threats and opportunities. A healthier political functioning
    Centre for Global Health Policy and Innovation Blog, January 2012
    http://chpiglobalhealth.wordpress.com
  • Action to preserve WHO's core functions cannot wait for organisational reform
    Mohga M Kamal-Yanni, Oxfam, in: Lancet, January 2012
    www.thelancet.com
  • WHO Reform: Fit for purpose or fit for plucking?
    David Legge, Afro-Nets, January 2012
    www.afronets.org
  • WHO reform at crossroads
    Mihály Kökény, EurActiv, December 2011
    www.euractiv.com
  • A healthier political functioning. WHO Reform: threats and opportunities
    Eduardo Missoni in: Bulletin of Medicus Mundi Switzerland, December 2011
    www.medicusmundi.ch
  • Global health leadership and the mandate of the WHO
    Iboro Ekpo Nta, Evolutionary content dissertation, November 2011
    www.medicusmundi.org
  • Third World Network: analysis of WHO EB Special Session
    K.M. Gopakumar and Heba Wanis, 2 November 2011 (pdf)
    K. M. Gopakumar and Sangeeta Shashikant, 11 November 2011 (pdf)
  • PHM comment on WHO consolidated reform paper
    For WHO EB Special Session, 1-3 November 2011
    www.ghwatch.org
  • Comment on WHO Reform Papers
    Third World Network, 16 September 2011
    www.ghwatch.org
  • Save WHO! Background to current WHO reform initiatives and possible advocacy messages
    David Legge on: Global Health Watch, September 2011
    www.ghwatch.org
  • WHO reform: members only (?)
    Comment by Thomas Schwarz, August 2011
    MMI ePlatform

  • “Irrelevant” WHO outpaced by younger rivals
    Nigel Hawkes in BMJ, August 2011 (extract only, no free access to the full text)
    www.bmj.com
  • WHO: Vague and inadequate reform plans criticised, nothing on financing
    Sangeeta Shashikant on: TWN Info Service, July 2011
    http://bit.ly/ptsuWR
  • WHO’s reform – a key challenge for the Member States
    Ilona Kickbusch in: Health Diplomacy Monitor, June 2011, p. 3 (pdf)
    http://ctpl.ca/sites/default/files/Health_Diplomacy_Monitor
  • WHO: Members' pressure leads to more inclusive reform process
    K. M. Gopakumar and S. Shashikant on: TWN Info Service, June 2011
    http://bit.ly/k2cack
  • Leveraging the World Health Organization’s Core Strenghts
    Margaret Reeves, Suzanne Brundage, CSIS report, May 2011
    http://csis.org
  • Revamp for WHO
    Declan Butler in: Nature, May 2011
    www.nature.com
  • The future of financing for WHO
    Medicus Mundi International Network: statement at WHA, May 2011
    MMI ePlatform
  • The future of financing for WHO
    PHM statement at WHA, May 2011
    www.ghwatch.org
  • Conflicts of Interest and the Future of Financing for WHO
    Health Action International (HAI) during WHA, May 2011
    http://haieuropestaffblog.blogspot.com
  • STOP the World Health Forum
    The IBFAN position during WHA, May 2011
    http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange
  • The future of financing for WHO
    World Health Organization: reforms for a healthy future. Report by WHO DG to World Health Assembly (WHA document A64/4) and development plan (document
    A64_ID5-en), May 2011
    http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA64/A64_4-en.pdf
    and
    http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA64/A64_ID5-en.pdf
  • Time to untie the knots: the WHO reform and the need of democratizing global health. "Delhi Statement", May 2011
    http://bit.ly/jTuA7b
  • How to set priorities for WHO
    Gaudenz Silberschmidt, Graduate Institute Global Health Programme Working Paper. May 2011 http://graduateinstitute.ch
  • WHO reform: construction work ahead!
    Comment by Thomas Schwarz, May 2011
    MMI ePlatform
  • Reforming the World Health Organization
    Devi Sridhar and Lawrence O. Gostin in: JAMA (2011)
    http://bit.ly/epV3nQ
  • The WHO and Global Health Governance
    Ad hoc advisory meeting, Geneva, 11 March 2011. A report and analysis for MMI and PHM can be ordered at the MMI secretariat
    WHO summary report
  • Is the WHO becoming irrelevant?
    Why the world's premier public health organization must change or die. JC Chow in: FP (2010)
    www.foreignpolicy.com/
  • A stronger voice of civil society at the World Health Assembly?
    Comment by Thomas Schwarz, June 2010
    MMI ePlatform

  • Making WHO Work Better: An Advocacy Agenda for Civil Society
    A discussion document produced by the Global Health Watch (2006)
    www.ghwatch.org
See also our thematic guide "Global Health Governance"
- the issues are closely related.

Short URL of this page: www.bit.ly/whoreformguide
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